


An Old Man's Sacrifice

by ZpanSven



Series: The American Samurai Troopers [4]
Category: Yoroiden Samurai Troopers | Ronin Warriors
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-06 18:44:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4232700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZpanSven/pseuds/ZpanSven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryo, Mia, and Yulie go to the one man that can help them – Mia’s grandfather, Professor Koji. But they arrive too late to save the old man from Naaza, the Dark Warlord of Venom. While Ryo distracts Venom, Mia and Yulie gather her murdered grandfather’s notes. It is from those notes they discover clues to the locations of the other four Troopers from an old poem Professor Koji taught Mia as a child…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Location: Arago’s Castle, Dynasty, Youjakai_

_Date & Time: May 28, 2007, early morning_

_Invasion: Day Four_

 

“Well I hope you're pleased with yourself. You can be such a hopeless braggart.” Rajura sighed after watching the replay of the previous day's battle. He shook his head, his long braid of white hair swishing down his broad subarmored back. “Right now they probably think you're **dead**. We _might_ be able to use that to our advantage _but_...”

 

“ **But** it makes the _rest_ of look bad,” Anubisu added with a sigh of annoyance. “ **Your** disgrace is **our** disgrace as well.”

 

“Given you are the proclaimed leader of us, they'll think _we'll_ be as easy to beat as well,” the Venom Warlord muttered. “I **know** its difficult, having to hold _back_ like we are, but **still**....”

 

The youngest Warlord sighed. “If we could  _just_ kill them...! Fighting to  _not_ kill our opponent after  **all** these centuries!”

 

Before his fellow Warlords could reply, they all stiffened at the familiar feel of their Emperor's presence joining them as Arago materialized over the dais. Immediately the four bowed to him, their fists banging home over their hearts as their voices rang out: “Arago-sama.”

 

“My Warlords,” he greeted them. “I see you have learned from young Shuten's mistakes in the last battle. Make certain you do not repeat them. You are aware that despite having captured millions of human souls, my plans for this world have not yet been meet?”

 

“Yes, Arago-sama,” Anubisu murmured, head tilting to study the spectral representation without lifting his head from his bow. “But we will still manage what it is you seek – to destroy this tainted world, to fill it with suffering and death in order to bring about a better world of peace and prosperity.”

 

“Your thousand year old revenge will come and at last your dream will become reality,” Naaza agreed.

 

“Very good. But none of that will not come to pass until you bring me those five. Without the armors held by the Samurai Troopers I will not have the power I need. As you have noticed, the armor of Wildfire gained strength from being in that volcano, much like each of yours gain strength from certain seasons in the year. I suspect each location they are hiding at are places that will strengthen them in a similar manner, so you must not underestimate them and capture them before they revive. You must not repeat Shuten's mistake.”

 

Shuten's head dipped deeper into the bow at the reprimand even as the Emperor continued.

 

“The odds are still in our favor though we will have to move swiftly.”

 

Rajura's head lifted and he gazed at Arago in confusion. “How so, Arago-sama?”

 

“They will not be a true threat until all five have gathered together,” the ghostly Emperor replied.

 

A nearly nonexistent brow rose as Naaza looked at the Emperor. “I see. So if we capture them all before they manage to reunite, keep them separated, then they are no threat to us, yes?”

 

“Correct, Naaza,” Arago agreed, pleased by the Venom Warlord's quick mind and cunning. “Keep in mind, however, that their armor protects them like yours does you, so it will not be easy. Naaza. This time I will count on you to seek them out and capture them. Bring them to me. Do you understand?”

 

The other three shifted to study the second youngest even as he straightened, back stiff and shoulders squared in pride. “Of course, Arago-sama. I will not fail you.”

 

“Your poison will run over the Earth and drive them out of hiding.”

 

“The Dynasty will rule. They will not escape me.” Naaza promised.


	2. Chapter 2

_Location: Hell’s Cove, Washington, USA_

_Date & Time: May 28, 2007, early morning_

_Invasion: Day Four_

 

Mia was grateful that Ryo had passed out after they had made it to her SUV; she recognized the sort of exhaustion he was enduring. It was like the college kids who crammed the night before a big test, using energy drinks and other forms of caffeine to hype up their alertness and keep themselves going for longer then they normally would. While they got their work done and did more while in the hyper-alert state, the crash afterward could be pretty intense as their bodies weren't used to what had been placed in their systems to create the artificial energy levels. However, as time went on the students built a certain tolerance to the caffeine and at the same time in some a dependency on it.

 

That had been late yesterday and they had retreated back into the city, stopping at Yulie's house, which was on the way to the college she and her grandfather worked at. Since Yulie's mother had done their grocery shopping the day before the invasion, the pantry was well stocked and the preteen gathered a few changes of clothing and other items he didn't want to leave behind. When she and Ryo had found him prior to leaving, he had been sitting in a small sunroom surrounded by wilted potted plants. His shoulders had been slumped with grief and as she approached, he wiped at his eyes hastily.

 

“My mom worked really hard to get these plants to grow and now...” he mumbled thickly before swallowing the lump in his throat, growling as he stood, small hands clenching into tight fists. “This sucks. Damn those guys! Ryo and the others will have to beat me to 'em. Mom'll cry when she sees her hard-work gone to waste and no one makes my Mom cry!”

 

Mia smiled sadly as Ryo reached out to brush the preteen's hair back from his face; the older boy's voice was soft but resolute. “We'll stop them. All of us. When we're all together again, we'll strike. I promise, Yulie.”

 

“And I know just who to go to for clues,” the Scholar promised. “The only person to have researched the legend of Arago, his Dynasty, and the Samurai Troopers – my grandfather. He's probably still at Exemplar waiting for me.”

 

“Good. There's many things I've been wanting to ask him,” Wildfire murmured, thinking back to the rush of power he had experienced in the volcano. What was that? And how could he counter the exhaustion afterward?


	3. Chapter 3

_Location: Arago’s Castle, Dynasty, Youjakai_

_Date & Time: May 28, 2007, early morning_

_Invasion: Day Four_

 

The woman had to have learned about the Dynasty somewhere, Naaza reasoned as he watched the randomly circulating images projected on a smaller Viewing Mirror, his mind processing what he already knew about the girl helping the Troopers, as little as that was. She was young and inexperienced, which meant she was the apprentice and not the master. Add in no true combat training, then the Master was older, and probably either a hermit or some form of teacher. In fact it could very well be a relative of hers who had taught her the ancient legends.

 

Hmm. A possibility. Many local legends _were_ traditionally passed down from older relatives to younger, after all, a way to keep them alive to the new generations. Staring at the Mirror, the Warlord frowned a bit; so far there was no scholar who knew of them noted among the prisoners...or so the Priests informed them. He didn't trust those priests, not one bit. None of the Warlords did.

 

The scent of wolf-fur and winter, faint but stark in the halls of the Warlord's tower caused him to regard Anubisu as the old wolf sat down opposite him. The older Warlord studied the Viewing Mirror intensely before regarding Naaza. “Contemplating your strike?”

 

“Aaah.” Naaza nodded. “Trying to find the source of that woman's information. Too young to be a full Scholar, probably an apprentice. Finding the Master and the Master's library would cripple the Troopers.”

 

Thoughtful, the older Warlord nodded. “As an Apprentice wouldn't know all the secrets the Master would have learned in a lifetime of study on the Dynasty, Arago-sama, and the armors themselves. So the apprentice--”

 

“--would return to the Master,” the Venom Warlord concluded, a wicked grin stretch across his lips to bare his fangs. “Bringing Wildfire with her to locate the other four.”


End file.
